For once it's time for me and the mutt to envy any of you who have bright (but cold) sunshine... Here it is getting colder by the day and that incessant rain we get sometimes has returned. Ciccio hates it 'cos he likes to be outside as much as possible even if it IS cold, but when it's like this he does tend to charge out, uncross his legs, check that there are no Martian invaders under a couple of bushes and then dash back in again. Can't blame him really I s'pose.

Only a couple more days and this level of my village will get no more direct sunlight on it until February 10th next year!!!! (yes it IS that precise LOL) We will get daylight, but the zenith for the direct sunshine won't be able to get above the mountain 'out back' at 12 noon each day.

I've not been too well for the last couple of weeks and for that reason I've not been posting much lately, though I do call in a couple of times every day to see if everything is ticking over OK. I've not got anything mind shattering - probably no more than a mixture of my age and the weather. But I do now feel decidedly ramshackle and rickety (all together now...Aaaaaah after I looked outside and saw this view yesterday morning (see below). Still nearly dark and it was already 10am....

Well the last few days have been beautiful here. The temperatures are in the mid teens (Celsius) and the sun is shining. Unfortunately, I have number 1 son down with the flu and am not able to enjoy it as much as I like. I have found that I have been sleeping quite a bit more since I got sick in late September. I hope you're feeling better soon and that we can both get back to "normal" (whatever that may be!)